How long is a piece of string?

[redredsam]

I own a printer cartridge & stationery shop in great high profile densely populated location, established for nearly 6 years and am looking to add to the services I can offer.

 

I have looked at key cutting, and made contact with a couple of suppliers and am close to starting.

 

I already put out thousands of flyers each year, advertise in my local press, have a van and the shop sinage which I can add to for promtoing key cutting.

 

Stupid question - How many keys can I expect to cut each week, given that I will not specialise but will promote heavily.................how long is a piece of string??

[Mick Friend]

I assume you have done research into people near you cutting keys.

BUT

beware cutting a key is not a matter of placing it in a machine and making another.

First machines need to be calibrated - Mine were done every monday before the shop opened

Next you need to be able to recognise blanks at a glance - now this comes with experiance, but 5 customers in a queue and you check 200 possible blanks........ may end up with 3 customers in a queue

What blanks you stock can be regional. I bought a board of 10 each x popular blanks when I opened my shop and 20 years later still had almost 50% of the original stock.

'Universal keys' are the bain of my life - cut down slugs that pass many sections highly unsatisfactory to a locksmith but not a cobbler.

be prepared for a high return rate, even with experianced staff we got 3 or 4 a week, and the idiot who swears he told you that one and you cut the other

lastly swarf from keys kills delicate equipment, also poor housekeeping can lead to a smouldering swarf fire- do ask me how I know sometime.

MAKE STAFF WEAR GLASSES OR GOGGLES brass spinters in the eye painful

[redredsam]

Thanks for the advice Mick. What I do at the moment I have alot of expereince in and one of the things that concerns me about key cutting is just not being able to provide a really good service and I know recognising blanks is a big problem.

Calibrating is something that I did not know about, but one of the suppliers I have spoken to are coming to see me this week, so lots of questions to be asked.

Keycutters in my immediate area are few and far between.

I am also concerned that the equipment providers will do just that, and perhaps not provide the backup and support i will need, although both have said they will provide training and back up.

[Lee]

where abouts are you? are the others few & far between because someones got a reputation second to none & had seen off previous attempts to infiltrate the area?

 

Some one said to me last week "that looks easy" I explained it on a par with a top chef, they make chopping carrots look easy, but years of training & experience have afforded them the fast hand & the knowledge of a sharp knife & knowing which carrot......

 

Not an impossible task, but never as easy as it looks. Good luck & welcome to the site.

 

Lee

[StevenB]

 

Some one said to me last week "that looks easy" I explained it on a par with a top chef, they make chopping carrots look easy, but years of training & experience have afforded them the fast hand & the knowledge of a sharp knife & knowing which carrot......

 

Lee

 

Great analogy - I'll be using that one for sure!

[redredsam]

where abouts are you? are the others few & far between because someones got a reputation second to none & had seen off previous attempts to infiltrate the area?

 

Some one said to me last week "that looks easy" I explained it on a par with a top chef, they make chopping carrots look easy, but years of training & experience have afforded them the fast hand & the knowledge of a sharp knife & knowing which carrot......

 

Not an impossible task, but never as easy as it looks. Good luck & welcome to the site.

 

Lee

 

Hi Lee, thanks for the welcome.

 

I'm in Belfast, very good area, high profile shop surrounded by businesses and densely populated. There is a specialist locksmith shop about two miles away, who would be well known.

 

I know it won't be easy, but apart from initial set up costs and a slight modification to the layout of my shop, there are no added overheads and I see it more as an add on to an existing business.

 

I'm just really trying to find out how much business I can expect (hard question I know). I will be doing it as professionally as can be expected from a newbie to the business, but I can put alot of time and effort into it.

 

Any advice at all is much appreciated.

 

Thanks.

[k4mrc]

Stupid question - How many keys can I expect to cut each week, given that I will not specialise but will promote heavily.................how long is a piece of string??

 

it is as long as you want it to be..if you are going into keys, go mad - it will be worth it, but do not expect to take massive for at least 18 months as it takes time for customers to know you do them.

go into car keys and programming, more expensive - but you can get training with Hickleys or Davenport Burgess free of charge, and you always pick up on basic's on these type of courses.

Good Luck, do not look back!

[redredsam]

Stupid question - How many keys can I expect to cut each week, given that I will not specialise but will promote heavily.................how long is a piece of string??

 

it is as long as you want it to be..if you are going into keys, go mad - it will be worth it, but do not expect to take massive for at least 18 months as it takes time for customers to know you do them.

go into car keys and programming, more expensive - but you can get training with Hickleys or Davenport Burgess free of charge, and you always pick up on basic's on these type of courses.

Good Luck, do not look back!

 

Cheers, thanks for that. I will certainly 'go mad' once I have learned enough, just as I have done with my existing business, and the car thing I may well look at further down the road.

[Mick Friend]

for cars see

www.alexpo.co.uk

should be a good show and only dedicated to auto stuff

M